


Place Your Hands On Mine

by IronPunk



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman: The Animated Series, DCU, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 22:03:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17374061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronPunk/pseuds/IronPunk
Summary: Bruce huffs and looks down. “You know my tragic backstory,” he explains. Everyone does goes left unsaid. “I may have taken the question too personally.”“I wouldn’t have included it,” Clark explains. “Except your assistant added it to the questions I sent her. I would never intrude like some… gossip rag.”Bruce shakes his head. “You haven’t made it personal. I have.”“What?” Clark asks. He’s so confused.





	Place Your Hands On Mine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Impala_Chick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/gifts).



Clark walks to the window of his empty, lonely apartment. It’s Christmastime and he normally went home, to Kansas, for Christmas but this year his mom is visiting relatives and Clark is alone.

He is broken out of his reverie by a dark figure walking towards his apartment building. That wasn’t unusual enough to catch his attention but he is pretty sure it’s Bruce Wayne walking up the concrete steps that let into his building.  
  
He feels a rising sense of panic when he remembers their last confrontation.  It was supposed to be another easy interview, but no matter how many times Clark tries to work around Bruce’s moodiness and his avoidance of anything too personal he _always_ hits a landmine. 

_“You should remember your place, Mr. Kent,” Mr. Wayne said cooly._

_“I’m sorry,” Clark said helplessly. It was a question that had been added by Bruce’s personal assistant yet Clark was the one who would take the fall for it._

_"This interview is over."_

_"Of course."_

Clark is a serious journalist working for a prestigious newspaper, not a tabloid reporter but Bruce has treated him with disdain from their first meeting. Even if he was the one who set up the interview. Even if Wayne's PA sent over the questions. 

Perry threatened to take Clark off of interviews for a while after yesterday’s debacle and Clark thinks that it is probably for the best. Wayne has never hidden his dislike for him and it would be better for the paper if he didn’t have to talk to Clark anymore. 

Maybe he is here to visit someone else. This wasn’t really a great neighborhood, but Wayne did a lot of charity work and Clark knew from personal experience that a lot of people here could use the help. He does what he can, but he sends a good chunk of his paycheck back to the farm so he's not always able to help. 

His hope is dashed when he hears the firm knock on his door.

“I know you’re home,” a deep voice says through the door. “Miss Lane told me.”

Clark rolls his eyes. He always forgets that Lois knows Bruce Wayne because of Diana and often talks about him like he is outrageously misunderstood.

Clark walks over to the door and opens it as far as the door chain would allow.

“Can I help you?” Clark asks warily. Sometimes he hates how polite he was raised to be. This is his home. He should be the one in charge here.

“Can I come in?” Wayne asks politely, if not gruffly. “I believe I owe you an apology.”

Clark is interrupted from answering when his cat, who had been dead asleep not moments before, sprints towards the open door.

“Hey,” Clark says softly, quickly bending down and picking up the black cat so it won’t run out.

When he looks at Wayne there is a strange, almost soft look on his face.

“Um,” Clark says stupidly. He’s still in a pair of sweats and an old Metropolis U shirt and he really doesn’t want Wayne to see his shitty apartment.

“Please.”

Clark sighs. Wayne isn’t the type to let something go and he really doesn’t want his neighbors to notice Bruce Wayne is outside his door. He’d have the paparazzi on him in no time.

He reaches up and undoes the latch on his door. Wayne lets himself in and closes the door. Clark puts Lana down before she starts yowling in his ear and scratching him.

Wayne looks painfully out of place in Clark’s tiny, barren apartment wearing his expensive designer everything.

“Have a seat, Mr. Wayne,” Clark says. He doesn’t think Wayne wants to sit on his ratty old couch with cat hair on it but he’s the one that came to Clark’s place with no warning so he’ll just have to deal with it.

“Call me Bruce. Please.”

Clark doesn’t say anything. He doesn't even know what he would say if he was so inclined. 

“It’s been pointed out to me that I was out of line earlier,” Wayne says.

“Lois,” Clark says blandly. He _knew_ Wayne wouldn’t show up here on his own.

Wayne nods. “Well I knew I was being an ass but she’s the one who told me to fix it. I wasn’t aware that I was causing you so much trouble at your work.”

“I appreciate your concern but I happen to agree with my boss. I really shouldn’t be doing interviews anymore,” Clark says. He’s even more confused than ever. Why did Wayne come all the way to his apartment to talk about Clark’s interviewing skills?

“No!” Wayne exclaims. He looks more upset than he should given the situation. He should be thrilled to have someone else to interview him. “It’s just… You’re brilliant at them. It’s me. I…”

Wayne huffs and looks down. “You know my tragic backstory,” he explains. Everyone does goes left unsaid. “I may have taken the question too personally.”  
  
“I wouldn’t have included it,” Clark explains. “Except your assistant added it to the questions I sent her. I would never intrude on your personal life like some… gossip rag.”  
  
Wayne shakes his head. “You haven’t made it personal. I have.”

“What?” Clark asks. He’s so confused.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you like that,” Wayne says. “I’ve already talked to your boss at the paper so you shouldn’t have any further trouble.”

“Thank you,” Clark says. He didn’t know what else to say. Wayne didn’t have to trek all the way here to apologize. He could have easily called Clark at his work number.

Wayne nods but doesn’t say anymore before getting up and heading to the door. Clark quickly moves to follow him.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Wayne says and then he’s gone.

~~~

Clark remained in a haze of confusion for the rest of the weekend. Why did Wayne come all the way to Metropolis from Gotham to apologize to Clark? Not even Diana could have made him if he hadn’t wanted to but why would he want to?

Clark goes back to work on Monday to see a bouquet of flowers on his desk. He doesn’t need to look at the card to know who it’s from but he does anyway. It’s from Wayne and there’s a gift card for Clark’s favorite local coffee shop inside.

He’s startled out of his thoughts when Lois sits across from him at his desk smirking into her coffee.

“I heard you had a visitor,” she says.

Clark looks around to make sure no one is nearby. Everyone loves to gossip about Bruce Wayne and Clark really doesn’t want to get involved in _that_ rumor mill.

“You should know since you’re the one who gave him my address,” Clark responds.

“He would have found it anyway,” Lois says. “He was determined to talk to you.”

“I still don’t understand why,” Clark admits.

Lois gives him a weird look. “Seriously, Clark? He’s had a massive crush on you since the first time you interviewed him. You really haven’t noticed?”

“What?” Clark asks a little too loudly. “That’s absurd.” 

“What’s so absurd about it? You’re a good looking nice guy. Why wouldn’t he be interested?”

“Because he’s a billionaire? Because he has his pick of Gotham’s finest? I’m not… That interesting.”

“You’re not boring, Clark,” Lois says angrily. “Lex was an asshole. Bruce isn’t anything like him.”

Clark looks away. He’s still ashamed about how he let Luther treat him.

“Please just give him a chance?” Lois asks softly.

“Okay,” Clark agrees. If anything Wayne would get bored and move on and Clark could go back to being a nobody.

~~~

Over the next few weeks, Clark doesn’t hear from Bruce directly. He gets tickets for that play he wanted to see, cat toys for Lana, and more flowers, but he doesn’t get more than a small note in the cards that came with them.  
  
It’s simultaneously incredibly charming and totally infuriating at the same time. Which is probably closer to describing the real Bruce Wayne than anything any tabloid has ever said about him.

He’s busy typing away at his desk late on a Friday night when he sees the man again.

“I had hoped my gestures would have shown my sincerity,” Bruce says. Clark looks up, startled, to see the other man standing in the dark shadows of the office.

“I’m sorry?” Clark says. There was a fire in one of the main centers of the city and everyone had been in a rush to investigate.

“I’m guessing you didn’t read my last note?” Bruce sounds more amused than upset.

“What note?”

Bruce reaches under a pile of paper and pulls out a card. Still sealed.

“Oh sh..oot,” Clark finishes lamely. He really doesn’t want to be caught swearing at work. “I apologize, Bruce. It’s been a hell of a day.”

“Do you have time for dinner?” Bruce asks. It lacks the confidence Bruce usually has when he’s around Clark and for the first time he actually believes that Bruce is interested in him.

Clark reaches out and grabs the hand Bruce put on his desk. “For you? Of course.”

Bruce shoots him a genuine smile and Clark’s stomach flutters.


End file.
